A man of manifold and staggering achievements, Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri
is the founding leader of Minhaj-ul-Qur’an International (MQI), an organization
with branches and centres in more than 90 countries around the globe, working for
the promotion of peace and harmony between communities and the revival of spiritual
endeavour based on the true teachings of Islam. Shaykh-ul-Islam is a scholar of
extraordinary proportions and an intellectual leader for all seasons. He is a living
model of profound classical knowledge, intellectual enlightenment, practical wisdom,
pure spirituality, love, harmony and humanism. He is well known for his ardent endeavour
to strengthen bonds among people, by bringing them together through tolerance, dialogue,
integration and education. He successfully bridges the past with his image of the
future and finds convincing solutions for contemporary problems. He has been teaching
Hadith, Tafsir, Fiqh, Theology, Sufism, Seerah, Islamic philosophy and many other
rational and traditional sciences to thousands of people, including Ulema, scholars,
Shuyukh, students, intellectuals and academics in the east and the west.

Shaykh-ul-Islam was born on February 19, 1951 in the historical city of Jhang, Pakistan,
and is the son of the great spiritualist and intellectual of his time ash-Shaykh
Dr Farida’d-Din al-Qadri. He was educated from the young age in both the Islamic
and secular sciences simultaneously. Although he had already started his religious
education under his father two years earlier, his formal classical education was
initiated in Madina at the age of 12, in Madrasa al-‘Ulum ash-Shar‘iyya, which was
situated in the blessed house of Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, the first residence
of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) after his migration. By the
time he had received a First Class Honours Degree from the University of the Punjab
in 1970, he had also completed his Classical Islamic Studies, having spent over
ten years under the tutelage of his father and other eminent Shuyukh of his time
and achieving an unparalleled understanding of the classical shari‘a sciences and
Arabic language. He earned his MA in Islamic Studies in 1972 with the University
of the Punjab Gold Medal, achieved his LLB in 1974 and began to practise as a lawyer
in the district courts of Jhang. He moved to Lahore in 1978 and joined the University
of the Punjab as a lecturer in law and then gained his PhD in Islamic Law. He was
also a member of the Syndicate, Senate and Academic Council of the University of
the Punjab, which are the highest executive, administrative and academic bodies
of the University.

In a short span of time, he emerged as the country’s leading Islamic jurist and
scholar and revivalist of the Islamic ideology. He was appointed as a Jurist Consult
(legal adviser) on Islamic law for the Supreme Court and the Federal Shari‘a Court
of Pakistan and also worked as a specialist adviser on Islamic curricula for the
Federal Ministry of Education of Pakistan at various times between 1983 and 1987.
In the 1980s, a number of historical judgments in the legal and constitutional history
of Pakistan were passed by the Federal Shariʻa Court and the Appellate Shariʻa Bench,
Supreme Court of Pakistan as a result of Shaykh-ul-Islam’s juristic arguments, documented
in the Pakistan Legal Decisions (PLDs) and Pakistan Legal Judgments (PLJs).

He is also a former Professor of Islamic Law at the University of the Punjab,
Lahore, Pakistan, and the youngest person ever to have been awarded a professorship
in the history of the University. Shaykh-ul-Islam has also previously held the position
of the Head of the Department for LLM in Islamic Legislation.

Shaykh-ul-Islam founded Minhaj-ul-Qur’an in 1981 and established its headquarters
in Lahore. In less than 30 years, Minhaj-ul-Qur’an has expanded and spread over
more than 90 countries around the world; and in terms of its comprehensive and all-encompassing
sphere of activities, educational, social, cultural and spiritual, Minhaj-ul-Qur’an
is probably one of the largest non-governmental organizations in the world.

Shaykh-ul-Islam is founder and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Minhaj
University Lahore which is chartered by Government and is imparting higher education
to thousands of students in the faculties of basic, modern, social, management and
religious sciences. He is the founder of Minhaj Education Society which has established
more than 570 schools and colleges in Pakistan. He is also the founding Chairman
of Minhaj Welfare Foundation, a humanitarian and social welfare organization working
globally. He is the founding leader of different forums of Minhaj-ul-Qur’an including
Minhaj-ul-Qur’an Ullama Council, Minhaj-ul-Qur’an Women League, Minhaj Youth League,
Mustafavi Students Movements and Muslim Christian Dialogue Forum.

Shaykh-ul-Islam is a prolific author and researcher. He has authored around 1000
books out of which 400 books are already published, and the rest of them are yet
to be published. An unrivalled orator and speaker, he has delivered over 5000 lectures
(in Urdu, English and Arabic), on a wide range of subjects, which are available
on cassette, CD, DVD formats as well as online.

The following represents a selection of his printed works:

Works on Qur’anic Tafsir (in number totaling 80 works) include:

Irfan al-Qur’an (the Meanings of the Qur’an — Urdu and English versions)

Tafsir Minhaj al-Qur’an (al-Futuhat al-Madaniyya — 14 volumes U.P.)

Tafsir Sura al-Fatiha (partly published, totaling 7 volumes), the largest
available publication on this subject.

Kashf al-Ghita ʻan Maʻrifat al-Aqsam li-l-Mustafa (Tafsir in Arabic on the
excellence of the Holy Prophet — blessings and peace be upon him).

Tasmiyya al-Qur’an (a voluminous book on the meanings of Bism Allah)

Manahij al-‘Irfan fi Lafz al-Qur’an (a voluminous book on the meanings of
the word Qur’an)

al-‘Ata fi Ma‘rifat al-Mustafa (4 volumes — collection of 5,000 ahadith
on the subjects of the excellence, habits, morals, specialties and miracles
of the Holy Prophet — blessings and peace be upon him — on the pattern and style
of ash-Shifa of al-Qadi ‘Iyad U.P.)

Asma’ al-Mustafa (Meanings and Interpretation of the Holy Prophet’s Names)

Dala’il al-Barakat (2500 styles of greetings and salutations on the Holy
Prophet — blessings and peace be upon him — a masterpiece of Arabic literature,
written in the style of the well-read Dala’il al-Khayrat of Imam Jazuli)

Political Aspect of the Prophet’s Sira

Economic Aspect of the Prophet’s Sira

Administrative Aspect of the Prophet’s Sira

Constitutional Aspect of the Prophet’s Sira

Scientific Aspect of the Prophet’s Sira

Cultural Aspect of the Prophet’s Sira

Historical Aspect of the Prophet’s Sira

Aspect of Human Rights in the Prophet’s Sira

Aspect of Peace and Integration in the Prophet’s Sira

Diplomatic Relations in the Prophet’s Sira

Relations to Non-Muslims in the Prophet’s Sira

Revolutionary Struggle in the Prophet’s Sira

Qur’an on the Characteristics of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be
upon him)

And many others

Works on Islamic Law and Jurisprudence (Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh) totaling around
60 works:

Objectives of the Raising of Prophets (blessings and peace be upon them)

And many others

Works on Tasawwuf and Spirituality; around 50 works on Islamic Science of Mysticism
and Spiritualism:

Kitab al-Ihsan

Reality of Tasawwuf

Practical Code of Spirituality

Obedience to Allah

Pearls of Remembrance of Allah

Love of Allah

Wariness of Allah

The Beauty of Pious Deeds

The Beauty of Spiritual States

The Beauty of Good Morals

Purification of Heart and Soul

Corruption of the Heart and its Cure

Our Real Homeland

Sin and Repentance

Qur’anic Categorization of People

Deeds and Spiritual Intoxication

Life — a War between Good and Evil

Morality of Prophets (blessings and peace be upon them)

The Awliya’: Companies and Narrations

al-Fuyudat al-Muhammadiyya

And many others

Works on Human Rights and Modern Sciences:

Human Rights in Islam

Islam on the Rights of Women

Islam on the Rights of Children

Islam on the Rights of Senior Citizens

Islam on the Rights of Non-Muslims

Islam on the Rights of the Disabled

Islam and Science

Qur’an on Creation and Evolution of Man

Qur’an on Creation and Expansion of the Universe

Islam on Prevention of Heart Diseases

Spiritualism and Magnetism

Issues of the Modern Age and their Solutions

And many others

Miscellaneous Works:

Islam in Various Perspectives

How to end Extremism and Sectarianism?

Our Religious Downfall and its Trifold Defence Strategy

Multidimensional Attack on Iman

The Real Concept of Jihad

Jihad: a Charity

Islamic Concept of Knowledge

True Knowledge: a Creative or an Interpretative Phenomenon

Reformable Aspects of Religious and Secular Sciences

The Real Base of Piety

And many others

Fatwa on Suicide Bombings and Terrorism:

Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri issued a historic fatwa, or Islamic
decree, on the vital matter of suicide bombings and terrorist attacks carried out
in the name of Islam. It is regarded as a significant and historic step, the first
time that such an explicit and unequivocal decree against the perpetrators of terror
has been broadcast so widely. The original fatwa has been written in Urdu, and amounts
to 600 pages of research and references from the Qur’an, Hadith, opinions of the
Companions (of the Prophet), and the widely accepted classical texts of Islamic
scholarship. The comprehensiveness and extent of the original work is meant to leave
no doubt, and no stone unturned, in order to remove any possible justification for
the suicide attacks that the perpetrators or their supporters may offer. Indeed,
Shaykh-ul-Islam went that crucial step forward and announced categorically that
suicide bombings and attacks against civilian targets were not only condemned by
Islam, but rendered the perpetrators totally out of the fold of Islam, in other
words, to be unbelievers. Furthermore, in what is unprecedented in recent Islamic
scholarship, this work draws out scriptural, historical, and classical scholarly
references highlighting the obligations of Governments of Islamic nations to deal
decisively to root out terrorist elements from society. This historic work has been
translated into major languages of the world.

His Eminence Shaykh-ul-Islam, Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has received a large
number of authorities (asanid) and permissions (ijazat) for the transmission of
knowledge of hadith, tafsir, fiqh, tasawwuf and other classical Islamic sciences
from numerous great pillars of the Muslim world, widely acknowledged as the fountains
of Islamic knowledge in the last century back to the classical scholars and great
Imams of hadith of the past up to the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon
him). He has more than 300 Chains of Authority contained in two of his own thabats
(reference books on his chains of authority):

al-Jawahir al-Bahira fi’l Asanid at-Tahira

as-Subul al-Wahabiyya fi’l-Asanid adh-Dhahabiyya

The following are some examples of his links to the renowned classical scholars
via only one teacher:

He is linked to al-Imam Imdad Allah al-Muhajir al-Makki via only one teacher,
his vicegerent ash-Shaykh as-Sayyid ‘Abd al-Ma‘bud al-Jilani al-Madani (who
died at the age of 165 years).

Shaykh-ul-Islam is linked to Imam al-Hind ash-Shah Ahmad Rida Khan via only
one teacher through three different routes:

ash-Shaykh al-Mu‘ammar Diya’ud-Din Ahmad al-Qadiri al-Madani

ash-Shaykh as-Sayyid Abu’l-Barakat Ahmad al-Qadiri Alwari

ash-Shaykh al-Mu‘ammar as-Sayyid ‘Abd al-Ma‘bud al-Jilani al-Madani

Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has gathered together the various
fields of classical Islamic knowledge, especially the knowledge, and authorities
of hadith, from famous centres of Islamic learning across the globe:

Shaykh-ul-Islam received the authorities of the above mentioned through:

ash-Shaykh al-Mu‘ammar Diya’a‘d-Din Ahmad al-Madani (he died at the age
of over 100 years)

ash-Shaykh as-Sayyid ‘Abd al-Ma‘bud al-Jilani al-Madani (he died at the
age of 165 years)

al-Muhaddith al-A‘zam ash-Shaykh Sardar Ahmad al-Qadiri (Faisalabad)

ash-Shaykh as-Sayyid Abu’l-Barakat al-Muhaddith Alwari (Lahore)

ash-Shaykh as-Sayyid Ahmad Sa‘id al-Kazimi Amruhi (Multan)

ash-Shaykh Dr Farida’d-Din al-Qadri

ash-Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Rashid ibn Qutba’d-Din al-Qadiri ar-Ridawi

ash-Shaykh Dr Burhan Ahmad al-Faruqi

8. An unprecedented chain of authority:

Finally, the most unprecedented, unique, highly blessed and honoured chain of
authority that his Eminence Shaykh-ul-Islam possesses is through only four Shuyukh
between Shaykh-ul-Islam and the great Imams listed below:

The following is a selective list of some leading Islamic scholars who have received
authority to transmit from Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri:

Damascus, Syria: ash-Shaykh As‘ad Muhammad as-Sa‘id as-Sagharji (a great
scholar of hadith sciences and fiqh and the author of the famous work al-Fiqh
al-Hanafi wa Adillatuh. He is the grand Imam of the renowned Jami‘ al-Masjid
al-Umawiyy — the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus).

Tarim, Yemen: ash-Shaykh as-Sayyid al-Habib ‘Umar Salim ibn al-Hafiz (Hadhramaut).
He is one of the most popular Arab scholars, preachers and spiritual teachers.
He is the founding principal of Dar al-Mustafa al-Karim (Yemen). Shaykh-ul-Islam
exchanged the asanid and ijazat with him.

Tarim, Yemen: ash-Shaykh as-Sayyid al-Habib ‘Ali al-Jifri. He is one of
the most popular Ahl as-Sunna scholars of the Arab world. He has studied from
great scholars in the Arab world and was one of the closest students of the
late as-Sayyid Muhammad ibn ‘Alawi al-Maliki al-Makki. He is a famous sufi teacher
of the Ba ‘Alawi Tariqa of sufism, which is widely followed in Hadhramaut (Yemen)
and Hijaz (Saudi Arabia).

Tarim, Yemen: ash-Shaykh al-Habib ‘Ali Mashhur ibn Salim ibn al-Hafiz. He
is the Imam of the Tarim Mosque, a Grand Mufti and head of the Fatwa Council
in Tarim, Yemen.

Bangladesh: Mawlana Ruh al-Amin, executive editor of the second largest
newspaper of Bangladesh The Inqilab and he is the president of Minhaj-ul-Quran
International, Bangladesh.

East Africa/UK: Dr ‘Irfan Ahmad al-‘Alawi. He is a university lecturer,
Bar at Law, CPhil PhD, Lecturer in Islamic Theology and tasawwuf (Islamic spirituality).
He is a student of ash-Shaykh as-Sayyid Muhammad ibn ‘Alawi al-Maliki (Makka).
He is the executive director of Islamic Heritage and also a writer for many
Islamic journals across the world. He has translated many works into Arabic,
English and Swahili.

UK: ash-Shaykh Babikr Ahmad Babikr. He has been actively involved in ad-da‘wa
in the UK since the 1970s. He studied the Islamic sciences in Sudan under ash-Shaykh
Fatih Qaribu’llah.

Canada: ash-Shaykh Faysal ‘Abd ar-Razzaq (Imam and president of the Islamic
Forum of Canada). From 1977-1986 he studied in Saudi Arabia, first at Umm al-Qura
University in Makka, then at King ‘Abd al-‘Aziz University in Jeddah. He also
studied at York University, Toronto, Canada. He has spoken on a wide range of
Islamic topics in many countries including Canada, USA, UK, Germany, Pakistan,
India, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Syria, Guyana, Barbados and Trinidad. He
has to his credit more than one hundred titles recorded on audio and video.
Ash-Shaykh Faysal is also a prolific writer of Islamic books.

And thousands from many countries, including Pakistan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt,
Yemen, Baghdad, Sudan, Jordan, UAE, East Africa, India, Bangladesh and other countries.

Al-Hakim reports through Thabit ibn Qays, that the Holy Prophet (blessings
and peace be upon him) said to his Companions:

“You (the Sahaba) are listening and receiving from me and people (at-Tabi‘un
i.e. the Successors) will listen and receive from you. Then people (the atba‘
at-tabi‘in) will listen and receive from those (the Successors) who listened
and received from you. Then people (the fourth generation) will listen and receive
from those (the atba‘ at-tabi‘in) who were the audience and recipient of the
Successors, who had listened and received from you.”[Related by al-Hakim in Ma‘rifa ‘Ulum al-Hadith, p. 60.]

According to ‘Abdu’llah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be well pleased with him),
the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

“May Allah brighten a man who listened from us something and then passed it
on to others exactly as he heard it because many a person to whom something
is transmitted retains better than the person who first heard it.” [Related by at-Tirmidhi in as-Sunan, vol. 5, p. 34 # 2657; and Ibn Maja in
as-Sunan, vol. 1, p. 85 # 232.]

According to ‘Abdu’llah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be well pleased with him),
Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

“May Allah keep him enjoying and rejoicing who heard something from me, remembered
it and kept it well in his mind and then narrated it (to others).” [Reported by al-Imam ash-Shafi‘i in al-Musnad (p. 240) and ar-Risala (p.
401 # 1102); and at-Tabarani in al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir, vol. 2, p. 126 # 1541.]

According to Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be well pleased with him), he heard
the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) say:

“May Allah grant him happiness who heard a tradition from me, learnt it by heart
and conveyed it to others. There will be many jurists who will narrate the tradition
to better jurists than themselves and there will be several others who will
not be in truth jurists at all.” [Related by Abu Dawud in as-Sunan, vol. 3, p. 322 # 3660; and Ibn Maja in
as-Sunan, vol. 1, p. 86 # 236.]

According to ‘Abdu’llah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be well pleased with him), the
Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

“Transmit from me may it be only a verse. And there is no harm in narrating
events from the Children of Israel. And he who deliberately fabricates a lie
on me builds his abode in the Fire.” [Related by al-Bukhari in as-Sahih, vol. 3, p. 1275 # 3274; Ibn Hibban as-Sahih,
vol. 14, p. 149 # 6256; and Ahmad ibn Hanbal in al-Musnad, vol. 2, pp. 159,
202, 214.]

According to Abu Qarsafa (may Allah be well pleased with him), Allah’s Messenger
(blessings and peace be upon him) said:

“Whatever you hear from me, narrate it to others and never say anything but
truth. And whoever will fabricate a lie on me for him a house will be built
in Hell.” [Reported by at-Tabarani in Turuq Hadith man Kadhaba ‘Alayya, p. 146 # 155;
and in al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir, vol. 3, p. 18 # 2516.]

According to ‘Abdu’llah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be well pleased with him and
his father), the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

“Obtain knowledge and facilitate and do not complicate. And if anyone of you
feels infuriated he should keep silent.” [Related by Ahmad ibn Hanbal in al-Musnad, vol. 1, p. 239; and al-Bukhari
in al-Adab al-Mufrad, p. 95 # 245.]

According to Abu Hurayra (may Allah be well pleased with him), the Messenger
of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

“Learn the Qur’an and (the knowledge of) the shares of inheritance and teach
them to the people because I am going to depart (physically).” [Related by at-Tirmidhi in as-Sunan, vol. 4, p. 413 # 2091; and an-Nasa’i
in as-Sunan, vol. 4, p. 63 # 6306.]

“The Holy Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said to Bilal ibn al-Harith
(may Allah be well pleased with him): “Know.” He submitted: “O Messenger of
Allah! What should I know?” He said: “Know, O Bilal.” He submitted: “O Messenger
of Allah! What should I know?” He said: “He who revives of my Sunna that which
ceased after me will get his rightful due as much of recompense as will be due
for its practitioner without any decrease in his recompense. And he who initiates
a misleading innovation disgusted by Allah and His Messenger (Allah bless him
and give him peace) will incur the same sin which will be on its perpetrator
without any mitigation.” [Related by at-Tirmidhi in as-Sunan, vol. 5, p. 45 # 2677.]

According to Abu Hurayra (may Allah be well pleased with him), the Messenger
of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

“He who sticks to my Sunna at the time of mischief and strife will get reward
of a martyr.” [Related by Abu Nu‘aym in Hilya al-Awliya‘, vol. 8, p. 200; and Haythami
in Majma‘ az-Zawa’id, vol. 1, p. 172.]

According to ‘Abdu’llah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be well pleased with him and
his father), the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

“He who upholds my Sunna at the time of strife will be granted reward of one
hundred martyrs.” [Set forth by al-Imam al-Bayhaqi in Kitab az-Zuhd al-Kabir, vol. 2, p. 118
# 207.]

According to Abu Hurayra (may Allah be well pleased with him), the Messenger
of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

“The holders of justice from among the successors will learn the knowledge of
hadith. They will put an end to the extravagance of the extravagant, the fabrication
of the heretic and false interpretations of the ignorant.” [Set forth by at-Tabarani in Musnad ash-Shamiyyin, vol. 1, p. 344 # 599;
al-Bayhaqi in as-Sunan al-Kubra, vol. 10, p. 209 # 20700; and ad-Daylami in
al-Firdaws, vol. 5, p. 537 # 9012.]

Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi reports in al-Kifaya (p. 121) through ‘Abdu’llah ibn
‘Umar (may Allah be well pleased with him and his father) that the Holy Prophet
(blessings and peace be upon him) said:

“O Ibn ‘Umar! Your din is your faith. Indeed it is but your flesh and blood
(it is your life). Therefore, you should be very careful about whom you are
receiving it from. Receive it from the pious and the steadfast and do not take
it from those who are leaning astray.”

Our master ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be well pleased with him) used
to say:

“Soon there will come people who will discuss and debate with you on the Qur’anic
verses which are figurative (i.e. they contain abstract and allusive meaning).
So deal with them by means of sunan because the people of sunan know the Book
of Allah more (than others).” [Related by ad-Darimi in as-Sunan, vol. 1, p. 62 # 119.]

Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi reports from our master ‘Ali ibn ‘Abi Talib (may Allah
be well pleased with him) in al-Kifaya (p. 121) who said in the mosque of Kufa:
“Inquire about the people from whom you are receiving this knowledge (of Qur’an
and Sunna). Indeed this is your din.”

Al-Imam Muslim in the preface (al-Muqaddimma) of his as-Sahih (vol. 1, p.
8) has entitled a chapter:
“Narration from a reliable authority and leaving liars aside is mandatory in
ash-shari‘a and science of hadith in order to eliminate any doubt of perjury
in narrating knowledge from the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him).”
Following this, al-Imam Muslim entitled another chapter in the preface (al-Muqaddimma)
of his as-Sahih (vol. 1, p. 14):
“Declaration of the fact that the chain of authority is part of the din and
there should be no narration except from a reliable chain of authority.”

Al-Imam Muslim also reports from al-Imam Muhammad ibn Sirin (through his
own chain), who states:

“The science of chain of authority and narration of hadith is din itself. You
should check whom you are receiving your din from.” [Related by Muslim in al-Muqaddima (preface) to his as-Sahih, vol. 1, p.
14.]

This saying of al-Imam Muhammad ibn Sirin was narrated by Ibn Abi Shayba with
some different words:

“The science of chain of authority and narration of hadith is din itself. You
should check whom you are receiving it from.” [Related by Ibn Abi Shayba in al-Musannaf, vol. 5, p. 334 # 26636]

“Before the fitna (civil war and political segmentation which emerged as the
reason of fabrication of hadith), they never felt any necessity to ask about
the chain (because all authorities before the period of fitna were undoubtedly
honest, truthful, trustworthy and reliable). After this fitna had occurred they
started asking the narrator to mention their chain of authority before them;
and if the knowledge of din was narrated from an authority belonging to Ahl
as-Sunna they used to accept his transmission; and if he belonged to Ahl al-Bid‘a
they rejected it.”[Related by Muslim in al-Muqaddima (preface) to his as-Sahih, vol. 1, p.
15; and Tirmidhi in al-‘Ilal, p. 739.]

Al-Imam Ibn Sirin again states as reported by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi:

“In the early days, people never felt any necessity to ask about the chain (because
all authorities before the period of fitna were undoubtedly honest, truthful,
trustworthy and reliable). But when this fitna had occurred they started asking
the narrator to mention their chain of authority before them so that they could
accept the hadith transmitted by an authority belonging to Ahl as-Sunna and
could reject the hadith transmitted by Ahl al-Bid‘a.” [Related by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 122.]

Al-Imam Ibn Sirin states:

“(In the early days,) people never felt any necessity to ask about the chain
(because all authorities before the period of fitna were undoubtedly honest,
truthful, trustworthy and reliable). But in later times people started asking
the narrator to mention their chain of authority before them so that they might
check. If the narrator belonged to the people of Sunna, they wrote down the
hadith, and if he did not belong to people of Sunna, they did not write down
the hadith from him.” [Related by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 122.]

Sa‘d ibn Ibrahim narrated:

“Nobody should narrate the knowledge of Allah’s Messenger (blessings and peace
be upon him) except the reliable authorities.”[Related by Muslim in al-Muqaddima (preface) to his as-Sahih, vol. 1, p.
15.]

“Al-Isnad (the chain of authority) is a necessary part of din. If there was
no chain of authority then everyone would have said whatever he wanted to say.”
[Related by Muslim in al-Muqaddima (preface) to his as-Sahih, vol. 1, p.
15.]

“Between us and between the people who receive from us there are pillars of
reliance and these are the chains of authority.” [Related by Muslim in al-Muqaddima (preface) to his as-Sahih, vol. 1, pp.
15, 16.]

Al-Imam Sufyan ath-Thawri is reported by Ibn Hibban and al-Khatib al-Baghdadi
as saying:

“The isnad is the weapon of a Muslim (who is the receiver of the knowledge).
If he is not equipped with the arms, how is he going to fight (and defend himself)?”
[Ibn Hibban, al-Majruhin, vol. 1, p. 27; al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Sharaf Ashab
al-Hadith, p. 42.]

“Knowledge should be received only from a transmitter who learns the text by
heart and has a deep and perfect understanding of the meanings of what he is
transmitting.”

Al-Imam Abu Hanifa further says, as related by ‘Abdu’llah ibn al-Mubarak
and reported by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi:

“When someone reads the text in front of a muhaddith or an authority (to get
it verified), then he is allowed to transmit from him to others.” [al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 303.]

“The one who accepts the knowledge from somebody without the sanad (chain of
authority) is like a person carrying a bundle of wood with a snake in it and
he does not know. It may bite him (anytime).”[al-Bayhaqi, al-Madkhal ila as-Sunan al-Kubra, p. 211.]

Al-Imam ash-Shafi‘i is quoted by as-Sakhawi as saying:
“He who seeks to collect hadith without chains of transmission is like the one
who collects wood at night.” [Related by as-Sakhawi in Fatha’l-Mughith, vol. 3, p. 4.]

“A hadith without any chain of transmission is nothing. Certainly the chains
of transmission are a ladder of the texts by which one reaches the texts.”
[Related by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 393.]

Ibn ‘Awn is reported by al-Khatib in al-Kifaya as saying:

“I said to ash-Sha‘bi: ‘Shall I not narrate a tradition to you?’ Ash-Sha‘bi
replied: ‘Do you narrate the tradition from the alive or the dead?’ I said:
‘From the alive.’ (To this) he said: ‘Do not narrate to me the traditions from
the alive.’” [al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 139.]

Ibn ‘Abd al-Hakam is reported by al-Khatib in al-Kifaya as saying:

“One day I mentioned a hadith in the presence of al-Imam ash-Shafi‘i in my childhood.
So he said: ‘Who has narrated it to you?’ I replied: ‘You.’ He asked: ‘Whatever
tradition I narrated to you it is as I narrated to you, but beware of narrating
traditions from the alive.’”[al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 140.]

Ibn as-Salah has reported in ‘Ulum al-Hadith (p. 150) from al-Imam Yahya
ibn Ma‘in. When he was asked about his wish, he replied:

“(My wish contains two things:) seclusion in my house (for uninterrupted remembrance
of Allah) and isnad of high ranking authorities (to receive the righteous knowledge
through the shortest chain).”

Hammad ibn Zayd is reported by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya as saying:

“We visited Anas ibn Sirin in his disease. So he said, ‘Be Godfearing, O group
of the youths, and scrutinize the credibility of the person whom you are receiving
these ahadith from, because this is your din.’” [Related by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 122.]

Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Aslam at-Tusi said:

“A short chain of transmission is in fact being close to Allah.”[Related by Ibn as-Salah in ‘Ulum al-Hadith, p. 151; and al-Khatib al-Jami‘
li-Akhlaq ar-Rawi wa Adab as-Sam‘, vol. 1, p. 123.]

Al-Imam Ibn Hibban says in Kitab al-Majruhin (vol. 1, p. 89):

“I hope that out of this Umma they (the travellers and the seekers of the knowledge
of as-Sunna, al-hadith, al-athar and al-akhbar who put their efforts to differentiate
between the sahih and the mawdu‘ through the verification of the isnad) will
enjoy the extreme proximity of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon
him) in Paradise. (This is so, because they spent their lives in a very highly
esteemed service to the Holy Prophet [blessings and peace be upon him]).”

‘Allama ibn Taymiyya states in Minhaj as-Sunna an-Nabawiyya (vol. 7, p.
37):
“The isnad is one of the exclusive virtuous characteristics and Allah’s great
blessings on this Umma. It is also a great peculiarity of the din of Islam and
it is a salient identity of Ahl as-Sunna. Ar-Rafida did not pay great attention
to isnad, because they confirmed only such as accorded to their desires and
the sign of a false isnad (in their eyes) was opposing their desires.”

So, Allah created for us trusty reporters for chains of transmission and promulgation
of din because both chains of transmission and promulgation are of the characteristics
of Umma. None of the preceding communities of the former Prophets has passed
who was granted such a high status of learning that the Prophet and his scholars
would preach din by means of unbroken and uninterrupted chains of transmission
between them. Allah Most High bestowed this superiority on the Umma of the Final
Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) which is the best of the communities
and honoured the scholars of this Umma from the Companions down to the hadith-narrators
with the proprieties of hadith. And in this Revelation: “Or some remnant of
knowledge (of the bygone people in transit down the line) [al-Qur’an, al-Ahqaf,
46:4.],” there is a pointer to the chains of transmission of hadith and
its narration. This pronouncement in the glory of chains of transmission is
due to the narration of din and the eminent authorities from the Successors
have described it as we have mentioned before in detail.

The significance of the chain of transmitters and authorities can be further
illustrated through the statement of al-Imam Ibn Maja (one of the six great
Imams of as-sihah as-sitta). He has reported a hadith on the reality of iman
in the preface of his as-Sunan (the same has been reported by al-Imam at-Tabarani
and al-Imam al-Bayhaqi), whereby he narrates from ‘Abd as-Salam ibn Abi as-Salih
Abi as-Salt al-Harawi from Sayyiduna ‘Ali ibn Musa ar-Rida, from Sayyiduna Musa
ibn Ja‘far al-Kazim, from Sayyiduna Ja‘far ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq, from Sayyiduna
Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Baqir, from Sayyiduna ‘Ali ibn Husayn from Sayyiduna Husayn
ibn ‘Ali, from Sayyiduna ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, from Allah’s Messenger (blessings
and peace be upon him). At the end of the text of hadith he quotes:

Here lies the blessings (al-barakat) of the names of the blessed persons who
belong to Ahl al-Bayt and all of them are the Imams of al-wilaya (sainthood).

The words of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) are always contained
in the text of hadith and not in the chain of authorities; the chain of authorities
only consists of the names of reliable persons who are the blessed transmitters.
Al-Imam Ibn Maja has not directed towards reading the text of the hadith upon
an insane person, but has rather emphasized reading the names of the transmitters,
which is the chain of authorities; just invoking the names on a patient has
become a spiritual treatment. This is the ‘aqida of al-Imam Ibn Maja, al-Imam
at-Tabarani and al-Imam al-Bayhaqi; the same has been mentioned by al-Imam as-Suyuti,
as well as by al-Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, the great and famous student of ‘Allama
Ibn Taymiyya. According to all of these authoritative statements of the Imams,
who are the real transmitters of din and the knowledge of hadith to us, it is
clear and evident that before the substance and content one is inevitably supposed
to rely on the chain and authority. These are the people who narrated the knowledge
of din. If they are proven to be reliable, it is only then one would have access
to the acceptance of substance and contents of the hadith. Before placing emphasis
on the text, they have given all the importance to the chain. In any hadith
the text is known as the matn and the chain of authority is known as the sanad
or isnad.

The text contains the message of Islam, the teachings of the Holy Prophet (blessings
and peace be upon him) and the substance of the Shari‘a and the Sunna, whereas
the chain consists of personalities. Reliance has been placed on the personalities,
prior to the actual content. The Imams have declared the chain of these reliable
personalities as a part of din. Here lies the significance of personalities
in Islam — the real transmitters of the din from the Holy Prophet (blessings
and peace be upon him).

Al-Imam at-Tabarani reports through ‘Abdu’llah ibn ‘Abbas:

“The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) said: ‘Oh Allah! Bestow
mercy on our khulafa’.’ The Companions asked: ‘Who are your khulafa’?’ He (blessings
and peace be upon him) replied: ‘Those who will come after me and narrate my
ahadith and my sunna and transmit them to the Umma.’”[Related by al-Imam at-Tabarani in al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat, vol. 6, p. 395 # 5842.]

That is why the Holy Qur’an in sura al-Fatiha has commanded us to follow in
the footsteps of the blessed personalities in order to achieve al-hidaya (guidance)
and al-istiqama (steadfastness):

“Show us the straight path, the path of those (personalities) upon whom You
have bestowed Your favours.” [al-Qur’an, al-Fatiha, 1: 6, 7.]

Reliable and blessed personalities have been declared to be symbols of al-hidaya
and it has been made compulsory to identify and follow them. On the other hand some
people have been made symbols of ad-dalala (misguidance) and the wrath of Allah.
The Qur’an has commanded us neither to follow them nor to be in their company. As
stated in sura al-Fatiha:

“Not of those who have been afflicted with wrath, nor of those who have gone
astray.” [al-Qur’an, al-Fatiha, 1: 7.]

The Holy Qur’an has defined the “blessed people” in sura an-Nisa’:

“And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him),
they are the people who shall be in the company of those (spiritual dignitaries
on the Last Day) whom Allah has blessed with His (special) favour: Prophets
(an-Nabiyyun), the Truthful (al-awliya’ and as-siddiqun), the Witnesses (of
Truth [ash-shuhada’]), and the Pious ones (possessing Allah’s nearness – as-salihun).
And how excellent these companions are!” [al-Qur’an, an-Nisa’, 4: 69.]

Shaykh-ul-Islam is one of the chosen and blessed people of Allah among the community
of the Prophet’s khulafa’ (vicegerents). He is the man of reliable authority and
one of the great authentic transmitters of the Prophet’s (blessings and peace be
upon him) knowledge to the Umma from whom scholars of East and West, both Arab and
non-Arab, have derived benefit, who come to him to receive ijazat (permission) and
isnad (authority) as an Imam of ‘ilm in this century. He is the one who received
his permission and authority from the greatest scholars of their time, and he delivers
his permission and authority to hundreds of great scholars of his time. Being the
author of one thousand books and a transmitter of the Holy Prophet’s (blessings
and peace be upon him) knowledge through five thousand orations and narrations,
he has revived numerous Islamic sciences, including ‘ulum al-Qur’an, ‘ulum al-hadith,
‘ilm al-fiqh, al-‘aqida, at-tasawwuf, and ideology through his reconstructive efforts
of Islamic thought and philosophy in the modern age. He is the revivalist of the
present century. As the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) stated, reported
by Abu Hurayra (may Allah be well pleased with him):

“Indeed Allah raises in the Umma at the beginning of every Islamic
century one that revives the din for this Umma.”[Related by Abu Dawud in as-Sunan, vol. 4, p. 109 # 4291; al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak,
vol. 4, pp. 567, 568 # 8592, 8593; and at-Tabarani in al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat, vol.
7, p. 272 # 6523.]

The scholars and authorities serving the din of the Prophet (blessings and peace
be upon him) are in hundreds and thousands who render their services according to
their position and status, but the mujaddid is only one in a century; if there is
to be another, he will be in another part of the world. Shaykh-ul-Islam was born
in 1951 (1370 Hegira) and started his revivalist work in 1981 (1401 Hegira), exactly
at the beginning of the 15th Islamic century, by founding Minhaj-ul-Qur’an. The
door of Prophethood has been completely closed in all respects and no Prophet will
ever come after the raising of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him)
himself. The Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) stated that before him
every Prophet used to succeed another; with his raising, the chain of Prophethood
became closed. From now he will be succeeded by the khulafa’ [Narrated by al-Bukhari
in as-Sahih, vol. 3, p. 1273 # 3268; and Muslim in as-Sahih, vol. 3, p. 1471 # 1842.].
The khulafa’ are the mujaddidun, al-awliya’, and the al-‘ulama’ ar-rasikhun. The
mujadidun are the revivalists and a mujaddid receives blessings directly from the
Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) in addition to his other chains of
receiving knowledge. A hadith of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him)
reported through Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab, which is quoted by al-Imam Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr
[Related by Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr in Jami‘ Bayan al-‘Ilm wa Fadli-hi, vol. 1, pp.
102, 191, 192 # 169, 379.], indicates that the transmitter of knowledge who
revives the din is the direct recipient of blessings of the Prophets and spiritually
linked with them. That is why the practice of isnad and ijazat has been continuously
and emphatically observed and transmitted since the first century of Hegira (period
of followers) up to the present time by the great Imams, authorities and the high
ranking scholars of the Umma.

Every textbook requires some competent teacher who can interpret its true meanings
and the correct implications of the text. It is pertinent to note that if one suffers
from a physical ailment, treatment will not be sought from someone who has just
collected knowledge from books of medical science. Rather a professional doctor
who has studied the medical sciences under competent professors and doctors will
be asked for assistance and treatment. The severity of the disease will dictate
the required competency level of the medical practitioner. Similarly, one needs
to question how it is possible to rely upon a man, for information and spiritual
guidance, who has just collected his knowledge through reading several books and
websites and has never received the knowledge through a proper chain of authority.
Thus, following the same sunna, some of the asanid (chains of authorities) of Shaykh-ul-Islam
have been mentioned above.